Hey guys.
Welcome to another anime review.
And this time, I must do something extremely special, for I am going to talk about an anime… a magical girl anime that I still can’t believe exists.
And that is…
MAGICAL GIRL SITE (Mahou Shoujo Saito)
Just when I thought the Magical-Girl genre could be turned out again with Madoka. But before I continue with my review, I must ask you guys… The Question.
Are you guys ok? Are you having a good time?
If you guys are ok, then forgive because this anime will ruin a bit of your childhood. Don’t hate me. Please.
Until then.. enjoy the review.
PREMISE
You are my new dream angel
Based on the dark fantasy manga written and illustrated by Kentaro Sato, Mahou Shoujo Saito tells the story of Aya Asagiri, a middle school girl whose life is, literally, a living hell; she is bullied at school on a daily basis, and to add insult to injury, her older brother, Kaname, verbally and physically abuses her due to the pressure from his father due to having perfect scores at school, forcing her to vomit due to his punches on her stomach. Unsurprisingly, Aya is contemplating suicide until she finds a website with that creepy looking doll (Well, duh), who grants Aya with magical powers, in the shape of a cute-looking gun (Or Wand).
On the next day, she meets her bullies, with a friend of theirs who attempts to rape her, until she uses the gun to make them disappear; however, much to her horror, they are transported to a near railway, where they are killed by one of the trains.
Of course, Aya is horrified and traumatised by the ordeal, but he meets another fellow magical girl, Tsuyuno Yatsumura, and together they learn more about this website, the magical girls, and the end of the World, known as The Tempest.
In other words, imagine that we take a blender, put Happy Sugar Life, Puella Magical Madoka, Jigoku Shoujo, a bit of Saya no Uta.
And…
This…
No questions asked.
STORY
Well, that is exactly what you will see after watching the first episode of Magical Girl Site. Just when you thought that Puella Madoka could twist that beautiful genre that perhaps impacted all of us during our childhood.
And the second episode gets edgier, because as soon as Aya and Tsuyuno meet… SPOILERS ALERT…
One of the bullies of Aya, Sarina Shizukume, confronts Aya on the girls’ bathroom, armed with a box cutter, but then she is saved by Tsuyuno, who can stop time, and she immediately slices Sarina’s neck open, leaving her to die… Except that she survives… Somehow.
AND THEN AYA AND TSUYUNO CHASE A SERIAL KILLER OF MAGICAL GIRLS.
Anyway… I must be honest. The only reason of why I decided to check this series was because of a video at YouTube about anime that simple are too edgy. And this is definitely one of them.
But wanna know something that I discover by watching Magical Girl Site and revisiting Puella Magica Madoka? That, surprisingly, this is what makes these series so engaging. Aside from the deconstruction of the magical girl genre, it is a very well-constructed psychological thriller that explores the slow consumption of the protagonists due to a power that we already know is extremely… nightmarish, as well as the fight of these broken protagonists for keep believing in hope despite all the sh*t they have to endure, and these antagonists, to demonstrate their enemies that they are above law and humanity, guided from their own twisted delusion. Furthermore, unlike Puella Madoka, Magical Girl Site is more realistic; regardless the culture, country or continent you come from, we know that problems like bullying, domestic abuse, drug addiction, sexual abuse, harassment, and suicide are real, and the destructive outcomes for their victims, and I think that is what will cause an impact on the animegoer, as profound and longlasting, as Madoka did, at least, from my own perspective.
Because despite so similar in both tone and story, Madoka and Magical Girl Site are very different. With every single episode you see, you will soon find out that each series has its own mythos, its own background, and own feeling, allowing the viewer to enjoy it even more. On the other hand, sometimes the violence here can be a bit extreme, not as extreme and tasteless as…
Pupa (Bloody!!!)
But, ultimately it depends on what the fan is looking for. I am not saying that Pupa is very popular (let alone pleasant to watch), but whatever the case is, the options are there…
For the fans to see something darker and edgier, different, or simply to prove that there is always anything that wants to shock, and to break the status quo of a genre.
CHARACTERS
As I said before, Magical Girl Site has protagonists and antagonists of different types, those who we will immediately sympathise with, and those who will hate with a passion. (Trust me, I now hate all of the villains). But each of them represent a real-life problem, and the real side effects of them, giving them more motivations, more variety, and, ultimately, more nuances.
Personally, I think it is better to face them than to introduce them, but we have an idol, a trans girl, an heiress, the daughter of a yakuza, etc.
That might help you to keep your interest. But again, let me warn you that the episodes will become more and more twisted, as expected from a premise like this.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, Magical Girl Site is that kind of anime for those fans of Madoka who want to see more, but different. Or for those who want to adventure on unknown territory. Either way, I think it is an interesting premise. I will watch it, for the sake of the history and the characters rather than for anything else.
And I invite you to do the same, as the anime fan I am, but remember, this… is not for those of weak stomach.
Magical Girl Site is produced by Production doA (Let me know if you find something else from them), and it consists of twelve episodes. i☆Ris sings the opening, «Changing point», while Haruka Yamazaki sings the ending «Zenzen Tomodachi».
Jainituos Presents 